The invention relates to an apparatus useful for controlling interactive computer games and more specifically to game controllers that are shaped like a weapon for control of a virtual reality character within a virtual reality game.
Pressing keys on the keyboard of the computer controlled early computer games, such as xe2x80x98pongxe2x80x99. This method of control was clumsy and slow, but more importantly it was not a realistic way to control movement of objects on a computer screen. To make such movement more intuitive and realistic, the Xerox corporation developed a two dimensional rolling controller known as the xe2x80x98mousexe2x80x99, which is now widely used for graphic interface control in the Windows(copyright) and Apple(copyright) series of operating systems. These operating systems can be controlled by the computer""s keyboard, but for all practical purposes the mouse or its analogsxe2x80x94the trackball, touchpad and the trackpoint(copyright) controller for laptop computers, have completely supplanted the keyboard for graphic interface control.
While the mouse was useful for general program control, it was completely inadequate for controlling complex computer games, many of which were aircraft flight simulators or required objects to be steered in two or three dimensions within the virtual reality environment (sometimes called xe2x80x9cVRxe2x80x9d) of the computer game. In the late 1970s, Atari developed the xe2x80x98joystickxe2x80x99 controller for computer games. This device simulated the control stick in an aircraft. Switches mounted on the control arm of the joystick, or on its base, allowed gamers to control many aspects of their games, such as speed, weapons operations and other aircraft flight operations.
As computer games became more realistic and fast paced, game controllers became more complex and realistic. The simple sticks became yokes or wheels, and the controls became proportional and incorporated force feedback. When the screen object encounters something in the VR, the computer sends a signal to the joystick""s base where tiny motors pull the joystick back precisely enough to trick the user into feeling a virtual texture. The sensations simulate textures, liquids and even centrifugal force. Many types of hand held controllers are now available, including VR gloves with three-dimensional motion sensors.
The prior art teaches simulated shooting where a rifle shaped controller is pointed at the screen and sensors detect the point of air to measure the player""s skill at aiming. An example of such prior at is found in U.S Pat. No. 4,395,045 for a Television Precision Target Shooting Apparatus and Method, or in U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,288 for a Shooting Simulating Process and Training Device Using a VR Display Screen. This prior art uses the motion of the game player to control the aiming point of the controller on a remote screen. This general class of prior art is useful for developing shooting skills, but it is has only two controls: the trigger and the point of aim. Such a controller would not work at all in modern VR games because the essence of these VR games is that the player controls all the movements of an action character within the VR simulation. This action character in the VR simulation moves in many directions with the VR space of the game. The VR action character points and fires the weapon in the game, not the external player. The external game play controls the action of the VR action character. In all prior art of this known to the inventor, both the hands of the player must be used to point and fire the aimed controller. The controller has no control over the movements of the VR action character within the VR game space. These prior art controllers do not control action of a first person character within the VR game space, but, rather, allow the user to simulate use of an aimed weapon.
Many prior art controllers, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,370 for a Computer Control Device, have multiple control buttons that allow the game player to control the movement of the VR action character within the VR game space. Game controllers of This type taught by the prior art are not intuitive. They are very awkward and slow when they are used to control computer games, such as Doom, Duke Nukem, and Quake, whose play demands that the player control many movements, attributes, weapons selection and point of aim of the action character within the VR game space. Despite the fact that these games are very popular, the prior art has not developed any controllers that make controlling the game characters within these games realistic.
One object of the present invention is to provide a VR weapon shaped game controller that provides intuitive control over multiple movements of a VR game character within a VR game space.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a rifle controller that incorporates one or more multiaxis controller into its forearm so as to allow control of the game character""s motion within the VR game space by movement of the forearm controller.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a game controller for a first person aimed weapon computer game that allows all program functions to be preformed while the controller is used to move objects in the game""s VR and to operate the weapon within the computer game. Examples of these game functions would include the game character""s weapon selection, game level selection, invocation of special powers of the game character such as invisibility, invulnerability, etc.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a VR weapon shaped controller whose controls are programmable to allow it to be used with any computer game that requires gamers to move within a VR game space at the same time that the character must operate an aimed weapon within the game""s VR.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a game controller for first person VR computer games that allows the player to control all movements and attributes of the game character within the VR while the controller has the look and feel of a real weapon, thereby enhancing the enjoyment of the VR game playing experience.